The armed right-wingers who have arrived in force at protests in Kenosha, Portland, Harrisburg, and Louisville have been labeled “patriot militias,” as if that tells you everything you need to know. But the history of America’s militia “movement,” as it's been called, shows that apart from guns, camouflage fatigues and extreme right-wing ideologies, what passes for a movement is a grab-bag of grievance. Although many of these groups focused on a variety of pet political issues they coalesced around two common causes: deep suspicion of the federal government and gun rights.
John Temple is a journalism professor at West Virginia University, and the author of Up in Arms: How the Bundy Family Hijacked Public Lands, Outfoxed the Federal Government, and Ignited America’s Patriot Movement. He and Bob discuss how militia groups came to sideline their fears of authoritarianism and show support for President Trump.
This is a segment from our September 4, 2020 program, Armed and Dangerous.
